Modified bacterial strains are provided. The strains can generate a desired product such as pyruvate and products derived from pyruvate. Methods of generating pyruvate and products derived from pyruvate are also provided. The modified bacterial strains have at least one mutation in a gene coding for proteins in a pyruvate dehydrogenase complex such that the mutation allows a cell to accumulate pyruvate and/or products derived from pyruvate.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. In some aspects, the microbial organisms of the invention have select gene disruptions or enzyme attenuations that increase production of fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes or fatty acids. The invention additionally provides methods of using the above microbial organisms to produce a fatty alcohol, a fatty aldehyde or a fatty acid.

An isolated or engineered polypeptide, a microorganism comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoded by the polypeptide, and a method for synthesizing a polyphenolic phytochemicals phosphate derivative using the polypeptide or the microorganism are provided. The polypeptide having a homologous protein sequence that is more than 70% identical to the polyphenol phosphorylation synthetase (SEQ ID NO: 13) comprises a conserved domain which sequentially comprises: an ATP-binding domain, which includes active catalytic sites of Lys27, Arg102, and Glu282; a substrate-binding domain, which includes a conserved motif of DDHHFYIDAMLDAKAR (SEQ ID NO: 14), and includes active catalytic sites ofAsp627, His629, and His630; and a phosphorylated histidine catalytic domain, which includes His795 based on SEQ ID NO: 13.

The present invention provides for the manipulation of carbon flux in a recombinant host cell to increase the formation of desirable products. The invention relates to cellulose-digesting organisms that have been genetically modified to allow the production of ethanol at a high yield by redirecting carbon flux at key steps of central metabolism.

The present invention is related to a biotransformation process, effected by means of an isolated polypeptide possessing benzopyrone phosphate synthetase activity, and also a microorganism comprising a nucleic acid sequence that encodes the polypeptide, for the preparation of phosphate-conjugated derivatives of benzopyrone compounds. The hydrophilic property of the benzopyrone compounds is enhanced after catalyzed by the benzopyrone phosphate synthetase of the present invention.

Genetically modified microorganism strains for the fermentative production of cysteine provide higher yields of L-cysteine or L-cystine during fermentation. Cysteine production is improved in the genetically modified microorganism strains by attenuating or inactivating phosphoenolpyruvate synthase enzyme activity, alone or in combination with the overexpression of efflux proteins and proteins that reduce feedback inhibition by cysteine and by serine.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. In some aspects, the microbial organisms of the invention have select gene disruptions or enzyme attenuations that increase production of fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes or fatty acids. The invention additionally provides methods of using the above microbial organisms to produce a fatty alcohol, a fatty aldehyde or a fatty acid.

Provided herein are a glucan kinase polypeptide, an isolated polynucleotide, and a method for processing starch. The glucan kinase polypeptide comprises an isolated polypeptide including a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO:22, fragments thereof, variants thereof, and combinations thereof. The isolated polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 21, a fragment thereof, a variant thereof, and a combination thereof. The method for processing starch comprises providing a glucan dikinase; exposing a starch to the glucan dikinase; and collecting the starch that has been exposed to the glucan dikinase.

The present disclosure provides a recombinant Bacillus subtilis for increasing the yield of menaquinone 7 (MK-7) and application thereof, and belongs to the field of genetic engineering. In the present disclosure, 14 recombinant strains BS1-BS14 are constructed through the modification of genes related to the biosynthetic pathway of MK-7 on a chromosome of Bacillus subtilis, wherein BS6-BS14 significantly increase the yield of the MK-7, reaching up to 33.5 mg/L, which is 3.53 times the yield of the original strain of wild-type Bacillus subtilis 168. The present disclosure further provides a method for modifying the MK-7 biosynthetic pathway in microorganisms to increase the yield of the MK-7, providing a theoretical basis for constructing a high-yielding strain of the MK-7.

The invention provides non-naturally occurring microbial organisms containing a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms selectively produce a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid of a specified length. Also provided are non-naturally occurring microbial organisms having a fatty alcohol, fatty aldehyde or fatty acid pathway, wherein the microbial organisms further include an acetyl-CoA pathway. In some aspects, the microbial organisms of the invention have select gene disruptions or enzyme attenuations that increase production of fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes or fatty acids. The invention additionally provides methods of using the above microbial organisms to produce a fatty alcohol, a fatty aldehyde or a fatty acid.